Family of Lies: Sebastian

Sebastian Orwell did the only thing a smart wizard could do when he stumbled upon the wounded Crown Prince: He healed him and dumped him in a tavern where he could continue not being Sebastian's problem. Unfortunately, the prince isn't content with being alive, and he hunts Sebastian down to thank him personally. Not only is Sebastian stuck with the prince's unwanted affections, but he's also confronted by growing evidence linking the assassination attempt to someone from his father's past.

Wolfsong

Ox was 23 when murder came to town and tore a hole in his head and heart. The boy chased after the monster with revenge in his blood red eyes, leaving Ox behind to pick up the pieces. It's been three years since that fateful day and the boy is back. Except now he's a man, and Ox can no longer ignore the song that howls between them.

Counterpoint: Song of the Fallen, Book 1

Ayden's life has long been guided by two emotions: love for his sister, and hatred of all things human. When he's captured in battle, he is enslaved in the service of a human prince, Freyrik Farr. Freyrik's always known elves to be beautiful and dangerous, but never has one affected him as deeply as Ayden. Teetering on a dagger's edge between duty and high treason, Freyrik discovers that some choices can change a life, and some an entire world.

Last Line

John Griffin and Michael South - agents in the renegade counterterrorism agency Last Line, and closer than brothers. It's a fast-lane life of danger and excitement. John loves every minute of it, but he's facing one big problem now: his feelings for Mike have flared up from friendship into a passion he can no longer hide. And Mike, although the bravest and best of partners, doesn't feel the same.

Tournament of Losers

All Rath wants is a quiet, peaceful life. Unfortunately, his father brings him too much trouble - and too many debts to pay - for that to ever be possible. When the local crime lord drags Rath out of bed and tells him he has three days to pay his father's latest debt, Rath doesn't know what to do. There's no way to come up with so much money in so little time. Then a friend poses an idea just ridiculous enough to work: enter the Tournament of Losers, where every 75 years, peasants compete for the chance to marry into the noble and royal houses.

Sacrati

As an elite Sacrati fighter in the mighty Torian military, Theos is blessed with a city full of women who want to bear his children, and a barracks full of men proud to fight at his side and share his bed. He has everything he needs - until he captures Finnvid on a raid. Finnvid is on a secret mission to prevent the Torian invasion of his homeland Elkat. Being enslaved by Torian soldiers wasn't in his plans. Neither is his horrified fascination with the casual promiscuity of the Sacrati warriors. Men should not lie with other men - and he should not be so intrigued when they do.

Betrothed: A Faery Tale

Faery royalty have always married for duty rather than love. Prince Chrysanths should be no different - except with a human for a father, the prince known as Puck already is different. When he is betrothed against his will to Prince Sky, Puck flees to his father in the human world, only to have Sky follow. Prince Sky Song of the Clouds isn't thrilled with the prospect of marriage either, but is bound by duty to follow through - if he can't win Puck over, the faery realm might very well dissolve into utter chaos.

Mad Lizard Mambo: The Kai Gracen Series, Book 2

Licensed Stalkers make their living hunting down monsters and dangerous criminals, and their lives are usually brief, brutal, and thankless. Despite being elfin and cursed with a nearly immortal lifespan, Kai didn't expect to be any different. Then Ryder, the High Lord of the Southern Rise Court, arrived in San Diego, and Kai's not-so-mundane life went from mild mayhem to full-throttle chaos.

Hexbreaker: Hexworld, Book 1

New York copper Tom Halloran is a man with a past. If anyone finds out he once ran with the notorious O'Connell tunnel gang, he'll spend the rest of his life doing hard time behind bars. But Tom's secret is threatened when a horrible murder on his beat seems to have been caused by the same ancient magic that killed his gang. Cat shifter Cicero is determined to investigate the disappearance of one friend and the death of another, even though no one else believes the cases are connected.

Sicario: A Novel: World's End, Book 2

Sold by his parents and bred in a lab, Lexan Cesare is trained for one purpose: to execute his boss' orders. In the Mafia life, loyalty is everything. Emotions have no place, and he never questions the rights or wrongs of the decisions that send him to terminate lives again and again. Until one assignment draws emotions he's never felt before and makes him question his true allegiance.

The Nobleman and the Spy

They once faced each other on a battlefield. Now soldier-turned-spy Jonathan Reese must keep watch over the man he's never forgotten. A close encounter reveals Karl von Binder, the count's son, also recalls the day he spared Jonathan's life. Sparks fly between the former enemies and Jonathan begins to lose perspective on his mission. He knows he must maintain distance because the heat he encounters in Karl's touch stirs him far too deeply for his own good.

The Lightning-Struck Heart

Once upon a time, in an alleyway in the slums of the City of Lockes, a young and somewhat lonely boy named Sam Haversford turns a group of teenage douchebags into stone completely by accident. Of course, this catches the attention of a higher power, and Sam's pulled from the only world he knows to become an apprentice to the king's wizard, Morgan of Shadows.

The Soldier's Scoundrel

Jack Turner grew up in the darkness of London's slums, born into a life of crime and willing to do anything to keep his belly full and his siblings safe. Now he uses the tricks and schemes of the underworld to help those who need the kind of assistance only a scoundrel can provide. His distrust of the nobility runs deep, and his services do not extend to the gorgeous high-born soldier who personifies everything Jack will never be.

Red River: Pack Collection, Book 2

Commitment, loyalty, and strength aren't enough to make Wesley Stone's birth pack accept an Alpha with a physical imperfection, even if it's a meaningless mark. Putting the safety of his pack above his own wellbeing, Wesley trades himself for another Alpha and agrees to mate with a stranger in a mysterious, insular pack. Alphas from Jobe Root's family have led the Red River pack from the first day shifters walked the earth. Now the time has come for Jobe to fulfill his destiny, but to do that, he needs his mate by his side.

Smoke & Mirrors: THIRDS, Book 7

Life for Dexter J. Daley has never been easy, but he's always found a way to pick himself back up with a smile on his face. Taken from his home and the arms of Sloane Brodie, his boyfriend and THIRDS partner, Dex finds himself in a situation as mysterious and lethal as the Therian interrogating him. Dex learns what he's secretly believed all along: his parents' death wasn't an accident.

The Professor and the Smuggler

An explorer at heart, former university professor Phillip Singleton's adventures have only taken place in his imagination - until recently. Exploring the Cornish coast to research a travel book, he encounters a living example of a pirate archetype. Dark-haired, black-bearded Carne Treleaven might have been hewn from the very rock his name describes, and Phillip is eager to discover more. As personalities clash, secrets unfold, and riches are revealed, the two polar opposites find the point where their similarities lay.

Guarded

A brutal war left Volos Perun with physical and emotional scars and with a reputation as a hero. Now he's a soldier stationed at the palace, desiring Prince Berhanu while receiving only loathing in return. But when Berhanu foolishly refuses the king's request to let Volos accompany him on a peace mission to the neighboring country, Berhanu is kidnapped and brutalized. Now Volos must risk his life as he works to save Berhanu and help his country avoid another devastating war.

Chevalier

Fireman Mason James thought finding out he is a Romanus - a rare class of gargoyle - would be the surprise of a lifetime, but he's proven wrong when he discovers he is the son of a comte and goji nobility. But his newly discovered family doesn't think his gargoyle lover, Luc, is good enough for a goji of Mason's stature - how could a warrior ever be? But despite the Moreaus' uncertainty and elitism, they are Mason's only chance to unravel the mystery behind his mother's death.

Cursed: Broken: A M/M Modern Retelling of Beauty & the Beast

Sensitive, aspiring photographer Nick Fairfax wants nothing to do with his family's corporate business, or their vicious, cold-blooded lifestyle. Intending to give up his inheritance and pursue his art, he arrives at his father's office, only to find that Fairfax Industries has fallen to a scarred man in a hooded cloak. The man is the reclusive billionaire Lord Bane Dunsaney, and he is bent on destroying the Fairfaxes. But when he sees Nick, *everything* changes.

The Starving Years: MMM Dystopian Romance

In 1960, a superfood was invented that made starvation a thing of the past. Manna, the cheaply manufactured staple food, is now as ubiquitous as salt in the world's cupboards, pantries and larders. Nelson Oliver knows plenty about manna. He's a food scientist–according to his diploma, that is. Lately, he's been running the register at the local video rental dive to scrape together the cash for his outrageously priced migraine medication.

Choices: Golden Collar, Book 1

Born and raised a gypsy in the late 11th century, Teman values freedom over everything. He and his best friend, Jasim, are thieves for hire - until one night when they're caught and their precious freedom is revoked. Given the choice between the dungeons or palace pleasure slavery, they become slaves, but Teman vows to escape someday.

Black Dog Blues: The Kai Gracen Series, Book 1

Ever since being part of the pot in a high-stakes poker game, elfin outcast Kai Gracen figures he used up his good karma when Dempsey, a human Stalker, won the hand and took him in. Following the violent merge of Earth and Underhill, the human and elfin races are left with a messy, monster-ridden world, and Stalkers are the only cavalry willing to ride to someone's rescue when something shadowy appears.

Drawn Together

Rory's just a simple southern boy from St. Antoine's Parish, Louisiana, but he knows what he wants - the girl of his dreams, reclusive and mysterious artist Ran Yamane. He's loved her since junior high school, and now he has the chance to meet her. He chucks everything and travels 1,500 miles to Anime Expo in Long Beach just so he can tell her. He's determined that nothing and nobody are going to stand in his way. Turns out, Ran Yamane isn't a girl, but he gets that a lot.

Some Kind of Magic: Being(s) in Love, Book 1

Ray needs Cal's expertise, but it isn't easy to concentrate with his mate walking around half naked, trying to publicly seduce him. By the time Ray identifies the killer - and sorts out a few prejudices of his own - it may be too late for Cal.

Publisher's Summary

How far will a good man go to save his home and loved ones?

Lord James Dupree must recover his family's stolen Luck, the elven talisman that has protected the Dupree lands for generations. Without the talisman, the Dupree vineyards are failing and creditors are closing in. The Luck is his only hope of saving his home and his family from poverty and ruin.

Despite his abhorrence of slavery, James wins an elven slave in a game of cards. The slave, Loren, provides the only chance to enter the Lands Between and recover the stolen Luck. Despite James's assurances and best intentions, Loren does not trust his new master and James finds it all too easy to slip into the role of slave master when Loren defies him.

As the two work together through hardship and danger, James finds himself falling in love with Loren. And when a hidden enemy moves against them, he must choose between his responsibility to his family and his own soul.

This is Victorian romance novel in disguise (minus the romance). James goes on and on about his conflicted emotions and guilt for lusting after the slave elf...Logan's character is so effeminate I had to constantly remind myself the character was male.

What was most disappointing about Shawna Reppert’s story?

The basic premise of this story is challenging. It's difficult to build a romance/fantasy story around slave prostitution.

What about Charles Carr’s performance did you like?

Great job with a crap story.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Stolen Luck?

The last 10 minutes. Seriously.... I was hoping for a little hot m/m elf sex at the end to save this mess. The dialog was neither romantic or erotic.

This was shocker. It was better than expected; however, it wasn't a super great book. It was better than ok, but less that great, if that makes sense. Just in between. There was literally on one smex scene, which totally irritated me... There should have been way way more, and this would have been great.

If you could sum up The Stolen Luck in three words, what would they be?

M/M romance fantasy adventure. (MM is not a word!). This is a story of a very good man who is "forced" to buy an elf slave in order to save his family. Owning a slave goes against everything he thought about himself, and he struggles with his conscious throughout the book. The elf has his own journey of discovery as he is challenged to rethink his belief that all "mortals" are less than animals. Since he has suffered horrible abuse at the hands of a previous owner, it is difficult for him.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the pace of the story, the blooming relationship between the MCs, the journey of discovery and the narration was wonderful.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Loren realized his true feelings in the shack during the storm.

If you could rename The Stolen Luck, what would you call it?

Journey to Love.

Any additional comments?

The narrator for this book really did a great job at bringing the characters to life. His various British accents were great b/c when Americans think of elves we always think of England. The author did a great job of pacing the relationship. However, this is NOT erotica in any way. There is very little sex and even then it is "implied" not explicit. This aspect did not effect the emotional dimension of the book, I think it may have enhanced it. I had never heard of this author, but she did a wonderful job.

This book was descrbed to be something it wasn't and I was very shocked, I didn't realize this was a romance book between two men and it was very graphic in the details. Maybe it was just me, but I thought I was going to listen to a book about a fanasty quest, not two men having sex. I was very disappointed and I wish I could exchange it for something else.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Terry Brooks - Bearer of the Black Staff

What three words best describe Charles Carr’s voice?

Very well read

Was The Stolen Luck worth the listening time?

God no

Any additional comments?

If you like gay romance then I guess this is your type of a book, it's just not mine.